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My mother was born in Bellingham, Washington, and was named Mabel Hanberg. Her parents, Einar (Ed) and Selma Hanberg moved to Somers, Montana. My mother went to high school in Kalispell, where she met my dad. She was short, and had blond hair. They were married, and moved to Columbia Falls, where my dad worked at Superior Buildings sawmill. Together they built the house that I would grow up in.
Apparently my birth was difficult. And my brother's birth nearly killed her. So, she only had the two children.
My mother was originally Lutheran. After moving to Columbia Falls, my parents started going to church at the First Baptist Church, a fundamentalist church. My mother has always been an extremely religious person. She knows a tremendous amount about the Bible. She was treasurer of the First Baptist Church, for many years. She taught Sunday school. She sang in the church choir.
She was always a Republican, voting straight Republican, without fail. Eisenhower is one of the people she admired most.
My mother is an excellent cook. I especially loved the fruit pies that she baked. She also sews very well.
Once, when I was little, my mother cut her toe, very badly, with the lawn mower. At another time, she burned herself badly, when she threw water on a grease fire on the stove. That is a tough way to learn not to do that.
My mother would spank my brother, as he was very defiant. I think that I had a great fear of being spanked. Mom tells me that she hardly ever had to spank me. I didn't always do what she wanted, however. I can remember slamming the door, when she told me not to. And, I always delayed doing things, telling her, "in a minute." I once played with fire, and was punished, even though I thought I was being careful.
For a time, I called her "Ma." That seems unnatural, now. I thought of her as being fat, although it seems that she never was fat. I was thinking that maybe a child may prefer to have a fat, or at least soft, mother. She is short, about 5' 3" or so. I am 6' tall.
We occasionally travelled to Washington and Oregon to visit some of my mom's relatives. Sometimes Dad did not want to go. So, Mom and Dave and I travelled by train. I remember ordering a grilled cheese sandwich, in the dining car. It arrived, covered in mayonnaise. Mom ate it, rather than let it go to waste.
In school, I never did my homework, and did poorly in school. That was frustrating to my mother, my teachers, and me.
For a long time, Mom did not drive a car. She walked a lot. I remember her pulling my brother on a sled, on a walk downtown to get food.
When we got the place at Lake Blaine, she was the last of us to learn to swim. She never learned to water ski.
If we ate at the church, or with relatives, Mom would tell everybody about the foods that I wouldn't eat. This would embarrass me, tremendously. She talks a lot. It is hard to get a word in, sometimes.
She reads a lot. She read most of the Agatha Christie mysteries, and got me interested in them. She watches TV, Lawrence Welk, religious programs, Biography, Jeopardy, Columbo, and others. I think that she, my brother, and me, have trained ourselves to be on Jeopardy, all our lives. My mother's main category is the Bible, Dave's is sports, and mine is science. But, I know that I would be way too nervous to do well on the program.
My mother recently had a cataract operation which did not turn out well.
She is a nice woman. I am glad that she is my Mom.